The commercialisation of laser technology, mainly by the military, has provided the hunter with this very necessary tool in his shooting kit. But is it fair? If we cannot gauge distances, should we be allowed to hunt at all?

Many are opposed to this tool, while others don't hunt without it. Let's look at the pros and cons;"Â¢ Taking cognisance of the fact that most hunters nowadays are city dwellers with jobs as managers or professionals or owners of their own businesses, the honing of shooting skills are virtually zero. This tool allows the hunter to accurately determine the distance to the animal which he intends to shoot. Too many animals were wounded due to the inaccurate gauging of distance. This tool will tell the hunter whether the shot is "on"Â� and whether it is within the limits of his caliber or the grain of his bullet. It will limit shooting mistakes on the hunting field."Â¢ The anti's are the romantics among us. There is nothing more fulfilling during a hunt than gauging distance correctly and accurately compensating by aiming higher to allow for the drop of the bullet. Is this not the age old distinction that differentiates between a good and an average marksman? We were all brought up on stories of the ideal marksman and his capabilities to shoot anything at any distance."Â¢ On the other hand nobody likes to talk about the missed shots and those stories are soon forgotten. The rangefinder limits those mistakes. If it tells you that a kudu is 300 metres away and you have a 130 grain bullet in your 30-06, the shot might not be on. Especially in mountainous areas it is easy to miss gauge distance.

A suggestion: have a bit of fun in the veld by initiating a competition with your hunting friends. Ask them to gauge distances from objects and then measure it with the rangefinder. You will be surprised at the level of inaccuracy of the naked eye.